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Addictive spiced nuts.

We’ve spent many years honing the perfect recipe, which is dead simple and inherently flexible

We’re spiced nuts fanatics around here. Every season we make pounds and pounds and pounds of them, that we eat ourselves and give as gifts. These are the nuts my kids beg for when the weather turns cooler, that we’re told we must bring to holiday gatherings, and that we can barely keep around the house because they are so addictively good.

Bonus: making these makes your house smell amazing.

Addictive spiced nuts

We’ve spent many years honing the perfect recipe, which is dead simple and inherently flexible. (In fact, since 2014 when I first published this recipe on Modern Mrs Darcy, we’ve continued to hone it—increasing the spices by about one-third, and decreasing the sugar by about one-half.)

I borrowed the basic technique from the people at Cooks Illustrated, from a long time ago: beat an egg white with a little water, stir in a pound of nuts, add spices, and bake. It’s quick and easy and the results are terrific. There are other methods, involving corn syrup and stovetop cooking and other fussiness, and while the end result is tasty, the Cooks’ method is so simple my kids can follow it, and do.

This wonderful spiced nuts recipe has all the holiday flavor but only half the sugar. This is any easy technique, so simple even the kids can make them. Also good for holiday gift-giving.

I’ve significantly modified the recipe over the years. I slashed the sugar in half from where we started, because while sugared nuts are delicious, all that sugar makes me woozy (or at least it should), especially around the holidays. These are sweet, but not too sweet.

This wonderful spiced nuts recipe has all the holiday flavor but only half the sugar. This is any easy technique, so simple even the kids can make them. Also good for holiday gift-giving.

We’ve also done a lot of tinkering with the spice mix over the years. I like the traditional cinnamon, and the cayenne makes them gently spicy. (If you like heat, double the cayenne. My kids would kill me if I did that.) I adore cloves, so you’ll find them here. 1/2 teaspoon is just the right amount for me; feel free to omit if you don’t keep cloves on hand.

Addictive spiced nuts

Any nuts will do: I used an equal mix of almonds, pecans, and walnuts. Hazelnuts and cashews are also good in this recipe, and macadamias are straight-up indulgent.

A word of warning: keep these in a tightly sealed container, and preferably on a high shelf. They’re seriously addictive.

Addictive spiced nuts

Not-too-sweet spiced nuts

1 pound raw mixed nuts (I used equal portions of almonds, pecans, and walnuts)
1 egg white, room temperature
1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (I use Diamond brand; reduce to 1 teaspoon if using Morton)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Combine salt, spices, and sugar in small bowl. Whisk egg white and water together in mixing bowl. Add nuts; stir to coat. Sprinkle spice mixture over nuts and stir to coat evenly.

Spread nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove from oven. When cool, break the nuts apart and store in a tightly sealed container.

And try not to eat them all at once.

P.S. A very bookish Christmas countdown to start today, easy stovetop sugared nuts, and how to DIY a holiday book page wreath.

Addictive spiced nuts

38 comments

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    • Anne says:

      Not fluffy! You’re not making meringue, just an egg wash. One of those photos above is of the nuts combined with the egg mixture—they have a glossy sheen after being tossed with the beaten egg + water.

  1. Tonya Talone says:

    Looks yummy! Do you think it would be ok if I used roasted & salted nuts and just left out the salt in your recipe?

  2. Janelle says:

    These look amazing, Anne…I can almost smell them from here! Great idea to cut the recipe’s sugar in half & up the spice factor. I’m going to make some as gifts for my Zumba pals! 🙂

  3. Laura says:

    Anne, thank you for this recipe! I just made these this afternoon and now I know what to give several hard-to-shop-for people on my Christmas list. These are delicious! And I think you have the sugar to nut ratio perfect! Thank you!!

  4. Claudia says:

    I made these for the first time today and oh – Delicious! I’ve already given away the recipe to a friend who couldn’t stay away. 🙂

    • Anne says:

      Are they crisp or sticky? I would use a larger pan for cooking (or separate the nuts into two pans before cooking) so you can spread them out more thinly.

  5. jina hunt says:

    I don’t want to run allover town to find raw mixed nuts. How do the roasted salted nuts do under the pressure of this recipe? Did you only leave out the salt or did you have to change the temperature and amount of time in the oven?

  6. Linda Harvey says:

    I have made these twice and they are wonderful. I use the cloves and we like pecans best because they are softer and a little easier on the teeth. I get the nuts at Costco in 2-lb bags. My son could take more cayenne but this is a perfect blend for gifting. Thanks for your recipe!

  7. Caroline says:

    Thank you for this recipe! My family has made these nuts since you first published the recipe in 2014. We add them to Christmas boxes for friends living far from us, and today, my daughter is selling them at her school’s holiday food & craft fair. They are easy and delicious, and the perfect thing to put out while having a cocktail before dinner. Thank you so much for sharing this!

    • Caroline Cook says:

      We get nuts from a Trader Joe’s. I haven’t done a lot of cost comparison, to be honest. And we don’t have a Costco membership. Maybe they’re cheaper there? Good luck!

    • sarah says:

      I realize you may not have these options, but our go to places for raw nuts are Sprouts, Trader Joe’s, and Costco. Sprouts is my favorite of these for nuts because they have all kinds.
      Obviously if you go the Costco/Sam’s route you have to buy a lot, but they don’t always cost much more.

  8. Virginia G says:

    These nuts are so good! They are very easy to make and I love the flavor, just a little sweet/salty/spicy. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I’ll be making several more batches to give as gifts.

  9. Katie says:

    Personally, these weren’t sweet enough for our taste, to balance the spices (esp the amount of cloves), but they turned out nice and crisp and will make great gifts for the holidays!

  10. Amanda Linnin says:

    These are really really good super easy to make and everybody loves them. my husband would not leave them alone!!! You have to make these. They are awesome ??

  11. Susan says:

    We love the taste of these nuts, but after I put them in a container, t stuck together in one big glob every time I reached in to get some. Was wondering if you had any ideas to solve this problem.
    But these nuts are sensational!

  12. Jen says:

    Oh my gosh…I made a special trip to Trader Joe’s today (45 minutes away) just so I could get nuts to make these. You weren’t kidding—addictive! Looking forward to gifting some and enjoying some through the holiday season. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

  13. Liz says:

    Are they supposed to be hard/crisp when you take them out? Or dry as they cool? Mine are still a little gooey after 30 minutes (probably need to do on 2 trays next time)

    • Anne Bogel says:

      They will crisp up a little as they cool, but if they’re legitimately gooey another ten or fifteen minutes in that low oven shouldn’t hurt them. (Two trays sounds like a good idea for next time!)

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